Best Service in a Restaurant

Gian-Tony's Ristorante

You don't notice the best service. It is quiet, self-effacing. Your server recites the day's specials letter-perfect while uncorking and pouring a taste of your wine. You don't even realize that he has replaced your knife between courses until you see him walking away, your old, dirty knife in his hand. He (or she) is formal, but never snooty. He never refers to you in the third person — "What will the lady have?" — and when you mispronounce a dish, there is no instant correction, no rolling of the eyes. The best service makes you so comfortable that you forget you're in a restaurant, yet so effortless that you could only be in a restaurant. That's exactly the kind of restaurant Gian-Tony's Ristorante is. This stalwart of the Hill offers delicious, straightforward Italian cuisine that is far too elegant to be Mama's cooking, but never pretentious. It is a home away from home. If only your real family treated you so well.